Ideas behind
the infrastructure.

Data Model Court

A fictionalized courtroom debate examining the tradeoffs between competing data model philosophies — and why the right approach depends entirely on the purpose of the model.

Achieving Warfighting Lethality via System and Semantic System-of-Systems Model-Based Engineering

Warfighting capabilities are increasingly dependent on the speed, safety, and maintainability of complex systems integrations — and semantic model-based engineering changes that equation.

Just Enough Data Model: A Hero's Journey Into The Modeling World

The data modeling aspect of implementing the FACE Technical Standard challenges many programs. This paper illustrates the philosophical and structural aspects of building a data model through one engineer's journey.

Interface Documentation Maturity Levels (IDML): An Introduction

As Model-Based Software Engineering gains traction, data models will become more commonplace. The IDML framework helps contextualize conversations about interface documentation rigor and integration readiness.

Why Should I Care? It’s All About Me: The Multiple Value Propositions of FACE

The FACE™ Technical Standard is lauded as a great stride forward in open architecture. Here’s why every stakeholder — program offices, platform owners, and software vendors — should care.

Data Modeling Is Hard vs. Data Modeling is Hard

This paper outlines several real and perceived aspects of data modeling when following a highly prescribed and connected data architecture standard.

Infrastructure-Centric Integration

The infrastructure is the correct place to accommodate change — and the FACE™ Technical Standard supports and encourages this approach.

Drawing Distinctions Among Data Modeling Challenges: Tool vs. Technique

Imagine you’re given the task of digging a trench and handed a teaspoon. Data modeling challenges come in two forms — tooling and technique — and conflating them consistently fails.

Semantic Model-Based Engineering for Integration: New Paradigms in Systems Development

There is a sea change coming in System of Systems integration. Semantic model-based engineering raises the bar from syntactic data mapping to meaning-preserving interoperability across heterogeneous systems.

Skayl invited by NAVAIR to be part of SBIR/STTR Innovation Hub

Skayl attends Navy Gold Coast in San Diego as part of the SBIR/STTR Innovation Hub, nominated to represent naval aviation innovation in small business research.

Skayl Demonstrates Rapid Integration at TSOA-ID

Skayl conducts a scalable integration demonstration featuring CinC™ at the Tri-Service Open Architecture Interoperability Demonstration (TSOA-ID).

Skayl Presents at Aerospace Tech Week 2021

Changing the focus from application-centric to infrastructure-centric integration — Skayl's presentation at Aerospace Tech Week 2021 addressing the challenges of System-of-Systems interoperability.

FACE™ Crosses the Atlantic for Aerospace Tech Week

The FACE™ standard crosses the Atlantic for Aerospace Tech Week in Toulouse, gaining international traction with allied defense and aviation partners.

US Army’s Mission System Architecture Demonstration (MSAD): The Architect’s Perspective

An inside look at the MSAD program from the systems architect's chair — what the demonstration proved, and what the Army learned about open-architecture integration at scale.

Smart Home Integration

Open Source, Open Standards, Open Systems

How do open source and open standards fit into the larger goal of open, interoperable systems? Clarifying the distinctions that matter for defense programs.

For a Higher Quality of Life... Soak it In

Last week, I dropped my truck off for my mechanic to fix. The check engine light was on and the engine was running rough. The next

Skayl is featured in 2022 FACE Special Edition

Gordon Hunt discusses Infrastructure-Centric Integration in Military Embedded Systems Magazine's 2022 FACE Special Edition, detailing Skayl's approach to the fundamental integration problem.

Skayl Reinvents SoS Interoperability with Release of its Configurable Infrastructure Capability

Skayl launches its Configurable Infrastructure Capability (CinC™), marking a transition from services firm to product company with a configurable SoS integration runtime.

Navy’s SBIR Investment in SoS Integration Expands to Benefit Army, AirForce, NATO & Commercial

How Skayl's Navy-funded SBIR research became a multi-domain integration capability with applicability across Army, Air Force, NATO, and commercial sectors.

Carroll County awards Best of Carroll County Cybersecurity Award to Skayl

Maryland small business Skayl wins the Best of Carroll County Cybersecurity Award for outstanding contribution to defense technology in the region.

High Tech Gem Flourishing in Carroll County

A local profile of Skayl's growth in Westminster, Maryland — the story behind a defense-tech startup building integration infrastructure for the U.S. military.

NAVSEA & Skayl Team in R&D Effort to Improve Combat System Development Through Data Architecture

Skayl signs a Navy CRADA to advance combat system development through improved data architecture and semantic integration methodology.

US Army Names Skayl Architect on Mission Systems Architecture Demonstration (MSAD) Capstone

The U.S. Army selects Skayl as systems architect for the MSAD Capstone — validating open-architecture integration at the Army program level.

Skayl Demonstrates Rapid Integration at National Aviation Event

Skayl’s automated integration tool is featured at a U.S. Army demonstration in Huntsville, showcasing live FACE-compliant rapid integration of avionics components.

Skayl Wins Two US Navy Awards for Innovative Research

Skayl wins two U.S. Navy awards recognizing innovative research in system-of-systems integration and data architecture for naval combat systems.

Skayl Announces Membership in The Open Group Future Airborne Capability Environment Consortium

Skayl announces its membership in The Open Group FACE™ Consortium — an early signal of the company's commitment to open-standards integration.

Systems Integration Startup Skayl Receives Navy Phase 1 Small Business Innovation Research Grant

Skayl announces it has received a Navy Phase 1 Small Business Innovation Research grant to develop system-of-systems integration technology.

Why Data Model?

Episode 7 — Dave, Sonya, Jacob, and Taylor discuss data modeling, why we do it, the problems it solves, and what distinguishes syntax from semantics.

Explain It to an English Major

Episode 6 — Chris, Dave, and Sonya take a stab at explaining who Skayl is and what they do, starting from first principles, for host Taylor — the resident English Major.

Introducing the IDML Framework

Episode 5 — Skayl introduces the Interface Documentation Maturity Levels (IDML) framework: a qualitative tool for assessing integration readiness based on interface documentation rigor.

The Grocery Store Analogy

Episode 4 — Dave's Famous Grocery Store Analogy makes data architecture accessible for everyone, even those newly initiated into the data modeling world.

Postmortem: The Largest Data Model Ever

Episode 3 — The Skayl guys conduct a postmortem on one of the Largest-Data-Models-Ever. Taming all that data was a tough job. Here are the lessons learned.

Message Models vs. Data Models

Episode 2 — Skayl jumps into the deep end, exploring how message models and data models differ and whether message models belong in the data modeling universe at all.

Introducing Three Guys & a Data Model

Episode 1 of the Three Guys & a Data Model podcast — covering data model basics, why they differ from other modeling technologies, and why they matter.